


The Time Has Come to be Gone

by IDreamOnlyOfYou (lauren3210)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Sort of? - Freeform, but still a happy ending?, idek, um
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 13:56:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauren3210/pseuds/IDreamOnlyOfYou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That was what happened when an Angel Fell, Dean supposed. Mortality becomes that much more tangible when you can feel it pulling at you with every passing second.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Time Has Come to be Gone

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote this after an idea came to me and just wouldn't leave me alone, and I figured if I was going to cry, then I might as well force other people to suffer with me, I guess? Sorry not sorry.
> 
> I NEVER write for this couple, my OTP are just too precious to me to be ruined by my terrible prose, so I'm hoping this comes across as not too OOC for anyone else.
> 
> Title from Led Zeppelin's _Ramble On_

Early sunbeams fell across the surface of the lake, the light ripples turned pink with the dawn glow. Dean held the fishing pole lightly in his hands as he leaned back in his seat, a small smile pulling up the corner of his mouth as he closed his eyes against the gently rising sun. Early morning fishing trips had always been his favourite thing to dream; one of the few memories of his childhood that he could look back on with a smile. 

"Dean? Are you here?"

The voice floated across the lake, and Dean scrunched up his face as the weak morning light flared brighter across his closed eyes. He flinched and the dream dissolved, and he woke up in bed, blinking slowly. Raising his head from the fluffy white pillow, he saw Castiel leaning against the bedroom door frame, shoulders hunched slightly, one hand shoved into his jeans pocket, the other curled into a loose fist under his chin.

"Yeah, Cas, I'm awake." Dean sat up slowly and turned to the bedside table, frowning down at the clock. "You let me sleep in this long?"

Cas smiled and shrugged. "It's Sunday, it's not like we have anything planned." 

He let his eyes rake over Dean's face, something he'd been doing a lot lately. It was different to all the times they had stood close, eyes locked on each others as though they could see past all the weak human layers and down to the very grace and soul where their true selves lie. Now it was as though Castiel was drinking him in, every skin cell, every atom, his gaze hungry and urgent, as though it wouldn't be long before he could no longer look his fill. That was what happened when an Angel Fell, Dean supposed. Mortality becomes that much more tangible when you can feel it pulling at you with every passing second.

Dean winked as he threw back the white sheet and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Am I too late for breakfast?"

Cas smiled again. "It's waiting for you downstairs."

"Fantastic, I'm starving." Dean stood up and walked over to Cas, bending his head to swipe his lips gently across Cas' cheek as he wandered out into the hall. The smell of pancakes and bacon wafted up the stairs and Dean felt his stomach growl in anticipation. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned back to see Castiel still leaning against the door jamb, hand raised as he pressed his fingers lightly against the place that Dean's lips had touched. Dean held out his hand. "You coming?"

"Of course, Dean." Cas let his hand fall and reached out to slide his fingers through Dean's, and let himself be pulled enthusiastically down the stairs in search of nourishment.

The house was small, a little two up, two down, with a bathroom the size of a postage stamp, but it was theirs and it was home. Dean had thought about just staying in the Men of Letters bunker, but after Cas Fell, Dean didn't think it right to keep him cooped up underground for long stretches at a time. If Cas couldn't fly any more, then at least Dean could make sure his Angel was still able to feel the sun and the wind against him. Sam had agreed, although his reasoning had been a bit more practical; the less people seen coming in and out of the bunker in general, the less likely it was to be found by the bad guys. So they'd looked around, and found an old abandoned house on the edge of a small lake in a town an hour's drive from the bunker. They'd bought it cheap and Sam and Dean and Castiel had rebuilt it, spending hours upon hours out in the sun, scrubbing and repainting the weatherboarding, Led Zeppelin on the stereo and cool beers waiting for them for whenever they got thirsty. It had reminded Dean of long summer nights spent out on the porch at Bobby's, just the cool air on their faces and the night time sounds floating to them on the breeze. Dean thought it rather fitting that they should end up settling down back in Kansas. It was like coming full circle, and it felt right.

Late morning sun flared through the kitchen blinds and bounced off the white walls as Dean rounded the corner. He grinned at the sight of his gargantuan brother leaning against the counter, overgrown hair flopping over his face. His smile grew even further as he noticed the stack of pancakes in the middle of the small wooden table shoved in the corner.

"Morning, Sammy!" Dean slapped his brother on the shoulder as he shoved his way past, eager to get to the food.

Sam jolted at his touch and stared, before offering a weak smile. "Hey, Dean." He turned to Cas, who was hovering in the doorway. "Cas, we've talked about this, you can't keep-"

"Can't keep what, Sammy?" Dean asked, peering curiously at the both of them as he sat down at the table. 

Cas was looking out through the window, seemingly unwilling to look Sam in the eye. Dean sighed; his brother and his Angel had been acting weird around each other for weeks, ever since their last hunt.

"Sam thinks that if I keep feeding you pancakes that you'll end up severely overweight," Cas replied, stalking past Sam and sitting at the table next to Dean. "He thinks I'm spoiling you."

"Well, he's not wrong about that," Dean grinned around a mouthful of pancake and syrup, winking at Cas before turning back to his brother. "Don't worry Sam, if I haven't already died from a heart attack from eating this stuff, you can try and make me eat some green stuff for dinner tonight, how about that?"

Sam glared at Cas for another long moment, before turning to look at Dean and smiling. "Uh huh. You think I can't tell when you're lying?"

Dean shrugged and shoved another forkful of breakfast into his mouth. "Well, don't say I didn't offer."

Sam barked out a laugh and then stood up straight. "Right. I'm gonna go down to the bunker, there's something Garth wants me to look up for him. I don't know when I'll be back. Cas?" He raised his eyebrows at Castiel, who nodded, his gaze fixed on Dean's plate of rapidly diminishing food.

"See you later, Sammy," Dean garbled around his last mouthful of bacon, taking a big gulp of coffee to wash it down. Sam waved over his shoulder and walked out of the room. 

Dean turned to look at Cas. "So, looks like we've got the whole house to ourselves for a while, huh?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, feeling a warm spot curl into a ball in his stomach at the sight of the faint blush rising in Castiel's cheeks. Sometimes he wondered why it had taken him so long to get to this point.

"Come on," Dean stood up and grabbed Cas' hand, pulling him up behind him and leading him out of the room. "Let's see how much fun we can get up to in the shower."

*****

The first thing Dean became aware of was the slight drool cooling on his chin. He lifted his hand to scrub at it and felt the faint scratch of worn denim against his cheek. He blinked his eyes open to see his faded AC/DC t-shirt staring back at him. Fingers slid lightly through his hair and he looked up to find Castiel gazing down at him.

"You're back."

Dean yawned and rolled his shoulders, rubbing his cheek against Cas' leg. "Yeah, sorry, did I pass out on you?"

Cas shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "That's okay. We were just watching TV."

Dean felt his eyes closing again to the feel of Castiel's fingers moving across his scalp, but then he thought better of it and tried to shake himself awake.

"Hey, you wanna do something? Get out of the house for a bit?"

Cas bent down and brushed his lips against Dean's lightly, fingers sliding round to trail across his cheekbone down to his jaw. "Why don't we go sit out on the porch? We can watch the sun go down over the lake."

Dean grinned, leaning up to leave a trail of open mouthed kisses along Cas' collarbone. "And you wonder why Sam says you're the girl in this relationship. Come on then, I'll get us some beers." He rolled off the couch and bounced to his feet. 

Castiel stood up with all his usual grace and led them through the kitchen and out onto the porch. Together they curled up on the swingset that had come with the house when they bought it. Dean had changed the old rusty chains for new ones and sanded the wood, letting Cas repaint the seat a brilliant white, just like most of the house. It was a little too bright for Dean's tastes, but he supposed after spending his life in dingy motel rooms, he could handle a little brightness.

Dean took a long pull of his beer and let his eyes wander across to the lake their house backed on to. "I should really fix up that dock," he mused out loud, mostly to himself. It was one of the last things that needed fixing before Dean could fully proclaim the house finished.

"You'll get around to it," Cas said quietly, using one toe to rock the swing lightly back and forth, his hand clenched into a fist at his throat.

Dean frowned. "Hey, Cas. You okay?"

Castiel turned and looked at him, head tilted to one side as he smiled slightly. "Of course, Dean. Why wouldn't I be? I'm here with you."

Dean reached down and put his beer bottle on the ground before wrapping his arm around his Angel's shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Cas rested his head on Dean's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

As the sun began to set, Dean placed a kiss on the crown of Castiel's head. "You and Sam still arguing, then?" He mumbled into the soft hair beneath his lips.

Cas was quiet a moment. "He's angry with me. We'll get past it though."

"Is it still about what happened on the last hunt? You want me to talk to him about it?"

Dean felt Castiel shake his head against his neck. "I think that would only make it worse, Dean. Sam and I will work through it."

"Okay, if you're sure." Dean leaned his cheek against Cas' hair and let his eyes fall closed against the slowly setting sun.

*****

The dream started out as it always did; rain falling down hard all around them, the staccato rhythm as it drummed against the corrugated iron roofs surrounding them almost drowning out the sound of the growls echoing through the alley. A gust of hot breath against his neck and then pain radiating out across his shoulder and down his arm before he got a chance to turn around. He could hear Sam shouting his name even as he struggled with his own vampire, but all Dean could see was the spray of blood as a third jumped on Cas and pulled him down to the ground before him. Dean screamed as he wrenched himself away from the bloodsucker, feeling his flesh rip under the teeth buried in his neck. He swung around and embedded his machete deep in the vampire's throat, throwing his weight against him and following him down to the ground, leaning against the weapon until it sank through flesh and bone and reached gravel. He flopped over onto his back, trying to get up to go help Castiel, but his arms were weakening from blood loss. Out of the corner of his vision he watched as Sam ran across the alley and sliced off Cas' attacker with one clean sweep and Dean breathed out a sigh of relief. He lifted a weak hand and offered Sam a thumbs up, wheezed out a laugh as his brother rolled his eyes and reached out a hand to help him up.

"Jesus, Dean, you've lost a lot of blood. We should get you to a hospital."

"Nah, I'll be fine. Just wrap it up and I'll mainline OJ for a week, it's all good." Dean leaned heavily against the wall and held his arms out to Cas. "Hey man, you okay? Looked like she took a big bite out of you."

"I'll be fine, Dean." 

Cas' eyes were wide and scared, and Dean pulled him close. He knew Cas was still not used to going up against monsters without his mojo. "Hey, it's okay, we're all okay." He pressed a kiss to his Angel's temple and ran his hand down his back, the white AC/DC t-shirt soaked through from the rain. "Let's go home, patch ourselves up, and put Dr Who on the TV, yeah?"

Cas held him tight for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Dean. I'd like that."

*****

Dean shook himself from the dream and blinked his eyes open to the harsh light in his bedroom. The sun was bright and as Dean moved his head on the pillow he could see that the other side of the bed was empty. Cas must have left him to sleep in again, but he'd been doing that a lot lately, assuming that Dean needed the rest to fully recuperate. Dean slid out of bed and padded out into the hall. As he reached the top of the stairs he heard voices coming from the living room, and he sighed. He knew Sam had been upset recently; when they'd finally decided to settle down, Sam had managed to wrench out a promise from Dean that they would keep the hunting down to a minimum. The vampire hunt had been the third that week, and Sam was pissed at Dean for going and pissed at Cas for agreeing with it, even though they were all worn out from lack of sleep. But then, Sam wouldn't be Sammy if he didn't have something to make bitch faces about.

Dean walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, hoping that Cas had once again left him some pancakes for breakfast, but he paused outside the almost closed living room door as he heard Sam speak.

"We have been over this, Cas, you can't keep doing this!"

"I'm not doing anything, Sam."

"You're bothering him! Cas, how many times have I got to tell you, he can't move on while you keep doing this!"

"He's not ready, Sam. I'll know when he's ready. And then I'll let him move on."

"What about what it's doing to me, huh Cas? I can't keep seeing him like this! I can't just wait here forever, it's killing me! You've got to let him go, man."

Dean pushed open the door and took in the scene; Sam sitting hunched over on the couch, hands pushing his hair back from his face, while Castiel paced along the length of the room, one hand fisted at his throat, Dean's AC/DC t-shirt slipping over one shoulder.

"What's going on?"

Both men froze and slowly turned to face Dean, who stood in the doorway frowning at them both.

"What are you talking about, moving on?" Dean's scowl deepened as no answer was forthcoming, and he strode further into the room. "I swear to God, somebody better start talking."

Sam sighed and stood up, looking at Castiel. "It's time, Cas," he said quietly, pain etched across his features. "We can't go on like this."

Cas stared beseechingly at Sam for a moment, then nodded his head jerkily. "Dean do - do you remember the vampire hunt we were on? Where we were both hurt?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course I remember it, Cas, it was a few weeks ago!"

"Actually, it was more than six months ago. I was hurt really bad, but you -"

"Wait, no," Dean interrupted, not understanding what was happening. "No, six months ago we were still rebuilding this house. Cas, man, are you okay?" Dean looked to Sam for some kind of indication of what was going on, but Sam was staring at Cas, at the fist tucked tight against his neck.

Cas took a faltering step forward and stopped, his eyes wider and bluer than Dean had ever seen them. "We - we were both attacked, and Sam only had t-time to get to one of us and -"

Castiel's voice faded out as Dean ran his mind back over that night, seeing Cas fall to the ground with the vampire on top of him, feeling hot fetid breath against his neck and the panic as he realised he wouldn't be able to get there in time to save him, hearing Sam shout his name and waving for him to go help Cas.

But of course he wouldn't have. If he'd only had time to save one of them, he would have saved Dean.

"C-Cas?" Dean stared across the room, sudden realisation making his blood run cold. "Cas, did you die? You're a ghost?"

Castiel's face crumpled and Dean automatically stepped forward, hand outstretched to place his palm against his cheek, to comfort the only person to have ever known him as well as his brother. Castiel's eyes slid closed as he leaned in to the touch, a small broken whimper tripping over his lips.

Sam stepped closer. "It's time, Cas. Show him. Please."

"Show me? Show me what?" 

Dean glanced from his brother to his Angel, and watched as Sam slowly reached out and tugged at Castiel's fist, still clenched tight and held against the hollow of his throat. One by one, Cas loosened his fingers, revealing a leather cord hanging around his neck and disappearing beneath the collar of the white AC/DC t-shirt he had been wearing non-stop. Hand shaking slightly, Cas tugged on the cord and pulled it out from under his clothes, and Dean stared.

It was his amulet.

Dean took a stumbling step backwards as the dream swam in front of his eyes again, the rain beating down against the metal roofs, making the ground slick, the growls echoing down the alley, the pain in his shoulder as teeth ripped down into his flesh. He saw Cas being pulled to the ground, hears Sam shout his own name, felt his own hand wave him over to help Cas. But then the dream distorted, changed and crumpled in on itself as dream Dean twisted around in the vampire's grip, feeling his skin shred as he ripped himself away from the teeth clamped in his neck and shoved his machete through the vampire's throat. His entire left shoulder was sticky warm with blood as he flopped over onto his back, breathing out a sigh of relief as he watched Sam behead the other vampire and hold out a hand to help Castiel to his feet. He watched as Sam turned to look at him, his eyes widening as he took in the quickly spreading stain on Dean's shirt. He saw Sam run to his side and fall heavily to his knees, fingers slipping in the blood as he tried to put pressure against the gaping wound. Cas ran over and fell down beside him, knees straddling one of Dean's thighs as he grabbed Dean's hand tight in his own.

"Oh God, Dean, I think it ripped through an artery, we need to get to a hospital, now." Sam said, his fingers scrabbling against Dean's neck.

"S'okay," Dean mumbled back, looking at Cas, trying to squeeze his fingers in reassurance. "M'okay. Jus get m'home." Cas' eyes were wide and scared and Dean couldn't look any more so he turned to look at Sam. "Take - take m'home, Sam. I gotta dock t'fix."

"Oh," Dean said simply, as the living room cam back into focus, Sam and Cas standing close to each other and staring back at him. "Oh, right."

Sam ran his hand through his hair, his face pale and withdrawn. "I - I didn't know how bad it was. You were fighting him off, I thought you were okay. Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Sammy. You're okay, right? And Cas too. That's all that matters." He looked at Cas, whose fingers were stroking over the amulet around his neck. "So you took that, huh? Did you know I'd hang around if you did?"

Cas shook his head once, his gaze fixed on a point somewhere over Dean's shoulder. "I just. This was the first thing you gave me, the first real sign that we were friends, that we could trust each other."

Dean nodded, remembering handing it over as Cas earnestly told them of his plan to find God. He was right; it had been a turning point in their friendship. "I guess we gotta burn it now though, huh?"

Sam nodded, his lips pressed tight together as he reached down to the coffee table and picked up the bowl there. "It's the only way Dean, you know -"

"Yeah, I know." Dean frowned. "Wait, does this mean I'm gonna go to Purgatory? Cause I gotta say, I didn't exactly enjoy my first vacation there."

Cas shook his head. "You're not a vengeful spirit, Dean. You just haven't - gone over yet."

Dean blew out a breath. "Okay, then, let's get on with it, shall we?" He turned to Sam. "I'll see you soon, I guess."

Sam reached out and wrapped his arms around him. "See you soon, Dean."

Dean leaned into his brother, for the last time. "Proud of you, Sammy," he whispered. He watched over Sam's shoulder as Castiel pulled the necklace from around his neck with jerky movements. "Take care of Cas for me, okay? And my Baby."

Sam nodded and squeezed him one last time, before stepping back reaching out to take the amulet from Cas' trembling outstretched fingers, placing it carefully inside the bowl and moving to light a fire.

Dean stepped forward and reached out to Cas, stroking his fingers through the soft dark hair he had come to relish the feel of against his skin. He pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss against his temple. "You'll be okay, baby," he whispered as he felt Cas' hands bunch into fists in his shirt. "You come find me, but not too soon, okay? I want you to live for a good long while first. I want you to see what being human is really like okay?"

"I have already experienced everything I need to with you," Cas mumbled into his neck.

Dean pulled back, watching Sam out of the corner of his eye as he flicked open the lighter. "You need to promise me, Cas. Sammy's gonna need you, and I need to you to promise that you'll look after him for me, okay?"

Cas nodded, a tear slipping down over his cheek, and Dean slid his palms up to cup his face, swiping a thumb across the trail of wetness. "Of course, Dean. I promise."

Dean pressed his forehead against Cas' and closed his eyes as Sam let the lighter fall into the bowl. "Love you, Cas. So frickin' much." He pressed his lips against his Angel's for the last time.

As the amulet melted, the brilliance of the white painted walls grew brighter, and Dean felt a warmth spread through from his chest outwards. The feel of Cas beneath his hands slowly disappeared, and he smiled as he let the brightness take him away.

*****

Early morning sunbeams fell across the surface of the lake, and Dean leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and smiling as he felt the sun warm against his skin, the fishing pole held lightly between his fingers. A flapping noise and a cool breeze tickled across the back of his neck, and his smile grew, his eyes still closed.

"So you finally made it then."

"Yes Dean, I am here now."

Dean turned his head to look at his Angel standing next to him, trenchcoat flapping in the slight breeze. "How long has it been, for you?"

Cas looked out over the water. "forty six years, seven months and eighteen days."

Dean smirked. "And yet you don't look a day over thirty five. Damn, looks like Heaven gets a few things right after all." He set the fishing pole on the ground and stood up, watching as Cas turned to look at him.

Cas reached out a hand and trailed his fingers across the freckles on Dean's cheekbones, letting out a sigh so deep he could have been holding it for years. "I missed you."

Dean leaned into the touch. Time moved differently in Heaven than it did on Earth, and his time without Cas had been both longer than forty six years and had passed in a blink of an eye. "I missed you, too." He threaded his fingers into the soft dark hair in front of him and looked into the ocean of blue that he'd willingly drowned in so many times before. "How's Sammy?"

"He's fine. I am sure he will be along shortly."

Dean smiled and leaned down, pressing a long waited for kiss against Cas' lips. "How about you and me go carve ourselves a nice little slice of Heaven for when he gets here?"

"Of course, Dean. Anything you want." Cas smiled at him, un-shed tears making his eyes bluer than they'd ever been.

Dean kissed him again, threading his fingers through Cas'. "Come on. Let's see if we can rustle us up some pie."

**Author's Note:**

> Headcanon 1: Ghosts who don't know they're dead don't have to concentrate on touching things, therefore they touch and can be touched without it being hard work for them. Yes I made this up, lol.
> 
> Headcanon 2: Since all the stuff that's happened in Heaven, and with Ash up there opening doors all over the place, the individual worlds have melded together a little, so that people can now share their Heaven with whoever they want. Because otherwise Heaven sucks, tbh.


End file.
